Signposts at * LivingIslam - IslamicTradition *
Directions from Signposts or metaphysical elucidations
based on various expositions of René Guénon:
One of his main concerns was to produce an unsentimental analysis of Western ideological and religious development since the Renaissance, focusing on the degradation - as he saw it - of metaphysics, and therefore of true intellectuality, and of philosophy and religion with those fatal consequences to the mentality of the general populace.
He explained the reason why Western civilization was built on false foundations, like a house built on sand: its individualism and its positivism, with its denial of tradition as defined by him and in consequence its disappearance of metaphysical knowledge. He indicated the way to spiritual reform and redress by gaining access - through initiation - to the sacred and eternal treasure of timeless wisdom hidden in the world-religions, especially we would point out the last and most comprehensive of them. He identified the necessity of following an orthodox exoteric tradition and explained for example the role and inherent efficacy of rites to gain access to beneficial spiritual influences, by modern man long forgotten.
He wrote for example:
In any case, what Westerners call civilization, the others would call barbarity, because it is precisely lacking in the essential, that is to say, a principle of a higher order.
Metaphysics can be really only be, we repeat it again, what is absolutely stable, permanent, independant of all contingencies, and in particular of all historical contingencies; that which is metaphysics is what does not change, and it is also the universality of metaphysics which realizes its essentiel unity, exclusive of the multiplicity of philosophical systems such as those of religious dogmas and in consequence its profound immutability. RG, EDH126
Quotes on the fact that metaphysics cannot be limited = On The Supreme Principle
On Non-Being, Creation, Individuality, and the Metaphysical Zero,
Further Dualism, Non-Duality,
Also on religion, on "freedom of thought", if intelligence becomes limited to reason,
on the sentimental, on mysticism in the light of metaphysics, on Intuition, on initiation,
and on rites,
then on antitradition,
Forthcoming: Unity, Manifestation, The Way, The Center
Also quotes on:
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ On Knowledge,
Islam's superiority to modernity and the end of time
What is Tradition and what is traditional about Islam?
Tasawwuf (Sufism) is an essential part of Islam.
On Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his personal traits
These questions are dealt with at https://www.livingislam.org/
More Texts And Explanations:
antitradition
creation
dualism
freedom of thought
his personal traits
index
individuality
initiation
intellect
intelligence
intuition
Islamic tradition
knowledge
metaphysical zero
metaphysics
metaphysics 2
modernity
mysticism
non-being
non-duality
religion
revelation
rites
role of spiritual master
sentimental
The Source - the Supreme Center
spiritual teachers
spiritual
sunnah
symbolism
tasawwuf
the end of time
tolerance
tradition
Abd Al Wahid Yahya - René Guénon, Introduction and Texts
upd_ 2019-06-19
from 2007-10-13
These pages are part of https://www.livingislam.org